An undated picture of millionaire Amarjit Chohan along with wife Nancy and their elder son Devinder. (Reuters)

London, July 21: Fears are growing that the entire family of Indian businessman Amarjit Chohan has been murdered, following the discovery of the body of his wife, Nancy, in the sea in conditions almost identical to that of her husband.

Scotland Yard disclosed that the body of a woman found floating in Poole Bay, Dorset, on Tuesday last week has now been confirmed as being that of Nancy Chohan after DNA tests. Her death is also being treated as murder, police added.

Chohan’s body was found floating in the sea close to Bournemouth Pier in Dorset on April 22. His body was so badly decomposed that it took extensive tests before his identity was confirmed. The autopsy showed that his death was “consistent with strangulation”.

The alarm was first raised after Chohan, 46, went missing on February 16 this year with Nancy, 25, their sons Devinder and Ravinder, aged 17 months and three months respectively, and Nancy’s mother, Charanjit Kaur, 51.

Police believe the Chohans fell foul of an exceptionally violent and ruthless English gang. They assume that Chohan was strangled, then buried in a shallow grave in a field near Stoodleigh, Devon, but the body was later exhumed — perhaps the killers feared it might be found — and dumped at sea.

It is possible the bodies of the other missing members of Chohan’s family may never be recovered. But police have gathered enough evidence to charge Peter Rees, 38, of King’s Close, Rowlands Castle, Hampshire, with Chohan’s murder.

It has been suggested that Chohan’s death is in some way linked with his business activities and that he paid the price for getting involved in a shady deal with some of his employees and their associates.

Nancy’s death is a realisation of the worst fears of her brother, Onkar Verma, 28, who flew from New Zealand to London to assist police with their investigation. He became suspicious when his sister stopped her regular telephone calls.

“I think my brother-in-law’s business has something to do with their disappearance,” he speculated at one point.

The Chohans had an affluent life in Hounslow, west London, where the businessman employed 22 people at his company, Ciba Freight, which imported fruit and vegetable from Africa and had a turnover of £4 million.